Bingham wins thriller in China

By Eurosport

22/06/2012 at 22:25Updated 22/06/2012 at 22:34

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Stuart Bingham beat Stephen Lee on the final black to win an all-English Asian Players Tour Championship final in Zhangjiagang, China.

The 36-year-old from Essex, ranked 16th in the world, completed his second major tournament win after the 2011 Australian Goldfields Open by beating world number eight Lee 4-3, potting the final black in the decider to clinch the £10,000 winner’s prize.

Bingham had moved into the final with a 4-2 semi-final win over Welshman Michael White, with Lee ending the hopes of the last remaining Chinese in the draw, Chen Zhe, by the same score.

"Last year I started the season well then fell away, but this time I want to keep the form going," Bingham said. "I came out here for the three events just aiming to win one of them, and I've got a trophy already so anything else is a bonus.

"I'm full of confidence now and I want to do well in the next two events.

"It's great to already have a place guaranteed in the PTC Grand Finals because I missed it last year. But I'll probably still play in all the other PTC events because I'm the type to go anywhere and play in anything."

The final itself was a classic as Bingham took the first frame with a 51 break before the Trowbridge native won back-to-back frames to take the lead.

Bingham levelled with a break of 67 but Lee retook the lead with an 87 before the Basildon boy forced a decider with a break of 63.

The deciding frame was a nail-biter that came down to the final black, which Bingham potted to seal victory.